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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Jun 14

color transitions we see in the tendrils here.
This is why I put hours into chasing. The opportunity to catch a rare glimpse of nature like this fuels the passion.

*Real nature- not AI. Noise reduction techniques may cause false positives in AI detection software.

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Jun 14

bump into each other more often. These frequent collisions quickly 'shut off' the red light of nitrogen excitation before it has a chance to shine, while the bluer light from ionized nitrogen is still visible. The blue, mixed with varying concentrations of red, creates the beautiful

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Jun 14

Last week I caught some of the most phenomenal events in the sky.
These sprites were so strong and so close that their colors reached maximum intensity from my vantage point.
The pink, purple, and blue colors at the lower 40-50km altitude are where the air is denser, meaning where molecules

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Jun 2

or very close to, the footprint of the sprite. Something manifesting so far outside of the sprite body raises a lot of questions.
And the human touch? Well, if you look closely enough, you will see that my camera was knocked out of focus. AI would never be clumsy or human enough to do that 😅

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Jun 2

Like here, Green Ghosts dissociated from the sprite tops in two separate captures 30 minutes apart. Something I have never captured before, but perhaps it will have some significance for science and our understanding of the planet. Usually, I have captured green ghosts only within,

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Jun 2

I've been accused of AI quite a bit lately.
I get it, the current social media trends do not foster an environment of trust.
But with real photography, we have the human touch and true imagery of nature that can uncover secrets about our world that an AI eye simply cannot.

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Apr 6

This old house in Oklahoma overlooks yet another storm passing by in the night.
The inhabitants are long gone, but I often wonder about the sights they saw- their experiences that were never shared before the time of social media and photography.

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 26

Springtime scenes early this morning in Oklahoma

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 15

Watching my YT vid about a similar event that night explains a little better. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omqq...

Giant jellyfish in the sky over heavily populated area. What is it? Is it something to worry about?

YouTube video by Paul M Smith Photography

www.youtube.com

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 15

and the strong upper puffs of the sprite bodies that penetrate above that region.It may not be very apparent in 2D , but that big halo is a bowl shape and those puffs reach up through and into the bowl.

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 15

Sometimes it is hard to believe that red sprites are nature.
This finer details in this second jellyfish sprite from Feb 2024 shows some exciting features. Like the linear waves in the sprite halo - likely atmospheric gravity wave patterns like we see in airglow-

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 15

This was back in 2022

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 14

Once upon a lunar eclipse, I got the alignment of a lifetime

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 12

New video of an amazing series of TLE's. youtu.be/OmqqHcN58EQ

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 1

Happy battery charging day to all those on the plains who celebrate Sunday storms 🌩️

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 1

I opted against bird feeders for years because the resulting weeds in the flower beds were a pain. Now, I’m not giving up these moments for anything

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 1

The same way you go fishing without seeing the fish :)

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 1

If you think I’m being hyperbolic, go look at prices of lightning data subscriptions. For just Oklahoma it would be about 14k per year

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Mar 1

This photograph wouldn’t be possible without the forecasts, radar, and data provided by NOAA and NWS. I’m not a wealthy man. If these weren’t public products, I couldn’t do what I do.

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Feb 27

I so much enjoyed the pre-spring skies today.
And the wind blowing through the house , full of birdsong.

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Feb 11

Red Sprites from Beavers Bend, Oklahoma. This was one of my favorite nights from this picturesque spot in southern Oklahoma - surrounded by the quiet of nature with a distant display of epic proportions.

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Feb 5

Red sprites are the perfect blend of science and nature, fleeting moments of beauty in our own atmosphere.

Each red spear is an excited ion channel, several miles long and triggering 50 miles above some massive charge change in the clouds below.

Our very own electric zoo, right above our heads.

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Feb 4

You can see some. They are quick though

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Feb 4

thx

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Paul M Smith @paulmsmithphoto.bsky.social · Feb 4

The amazing and elusive beauty of nature on a millisecond timescale.

Red sprites remind us that our planet is incredibly special, and still has some secrets that aren't always easy to find.

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